Category: Networking

    Sustainable Event Planning

    From big birthday parties to weddings and more, event planning seems to be a booming business that just keeps getting better. People and business alike will always have events to plan, and who doesn’t like helping make peoples’ dreams come true? Event planning is also an excellent opportunity to introduce a great chance to promote more environmentally friendly events to your area.

    Not only is a sustainable event planning business an easy sell to customers everywhere, but it is also easy to accomplish. Here are some ideas to start with for a sustainable event planning business:

    * Reusable Linens – Instead of using disposable napkins and throw-away table linens, exclusively offer reusable linens. They are easy to wash and maintain, and they will cut down on an amazing amount of waste.

    * Deluxe Dishware – Use only reusable dishes as well. This means everything from flatware, to cups, to plates. Not using disposable dishes can do a lot of good for the environment, and can save you money as well.

    * Sustainable Materials – You can use sustainable materials for fabrics, props, flooring, furniture and more. There are many materials, such as bamboo, hemp, and organic cotton that can be used for almost everything you need. These materials are also likely to be of great quality and last longer.

    * Recycled Materials – You can make a point to use recycled materials for all of these items as well. This will save you money on top of being environmentally friendly.

    * Bring Nature In – There is almost no better setting for an event than the great outdoors. You can throw your events in great outdoor locations, or bring the outdoors in with great nature-inspired decorations.

    * Loving Lights – Use environmentally friendly and long-lasting LED lights to brighten up your events. They may cost a little more initially, but they will last longer and light up better than any other option.

    * Compostables – When cleaning up during and after an event, make sure to keep your trash, recyclables, and compostable material all separate. You can use, sell, or donate compost to many farms and other organizations to be reused.

    * Fresh Fare – When planning an event that involves food, choose local catering that focuses on the use of fresh, local produce. The meals will likely taste better than any other option, and you will be doing the environment and local economy good.

    * Conscious Cleaning – After a great party there is always a lot of clean-up. Avoid using harsh chemical cleaners and instead use all-natural and eco-friendly cleaning products exclusively.

    * Dedicated Decor – There are a vast number of ways that you can make recycled and natural décor look perfect. You can use leftover wine bottles for vases and lighting projects, potted plants as decoration and favors, and reusable chalkboards for signs and place cards. The ideas are literally endless, and will give your business that touch of creativity that will set you apart.

    These are just some of the many ways that you could turn a simple event planning business into a sustainable, Earth-saving business. Even better, with so many reusable and recycled elements, you can cut your overhead down exponentially.

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    Using Shows and Events as Content Generators

    Live events are fabulous content generators. Everything you see, hear, smell and do is ripe for taking as a content idea. It’s important that you take a notebook or other technology that enables you to keep notes of everything. Don’t rely on your memory as you’ll likely be a little overwhelmed during the event. To get your creative juices flowing, here are a few ideas for content ideas that you can generate from shows and events.

    * Videos – At live events people are ripe for sharing. Ask people to be interviewed on camera. Try to get the speakers and event leaders as well as guests to answer one question for your video. Then you can combine them as a video and then repurpose them as other types of content, including blog posts, tweets, and even an eBook.

    * Audio – Record people’s voices only answering the questions you have so that you can put them on a podcast. You can also use the audio as notes for blog posts, articles and press releases.

    * Transcripts – Make transcripts of every video and audio so that you can use it to publish as an eBook, report, white paper, or under the podcast or video as a way to help with website traffic.

    * Q & A – When anyone asks a question during the event, that question can now be used as fodder for new content from blog posts to eBooks, regardless of the answers given at the time.

    * Testimonials – Get people to give you video testimonials that you can use in support of attending the event next year. This is especially great if you plan to promote the event as an affiliate, or if it’s already your event.

    * Stories – Collect stories of people who are attending the event that you can use as information to create more content such as books, blog posts, articles and more.

    * Product Reviews – You can do reviews of the event and the speakers, as well as any products that are sold or promoted at the event. These are always great blog posts.

    * Live Tweets – During the event you can tweet what is happening via text or images. Later you can use those tweets if you put a telling hashtag with them, to help you remember what happened so you can make even more content.

    Keep your eyes and ears open, listen more than you talk, and so many ideas will come to light that you can use for content after the event. Content ideas can come from everywhere – even your hotel room or the side trip to local tourist destinations – as much as they can come from the event itself. But mostly, the ideas you get will come from the people who are at the event. Immerse yourself in the event, take notes, and the ideas will flow naturally.

    Categories: events Tags: Tags:

    Make Marketing Friends to Boost Your Confidence

    Networking is one of the most important things you can do to boost your business – and your self confidence to move on to greater successes. But meeting people can be a challenge to some – even though meeting others online provides some level of anonymity.

    Fear starts rearing its ugly head, especially if you’re a newbie and trying to meet people on forums where everyone seems to know what they’re doing and exactly where they’re going and how to get there.

    Although networking may evoke self doubt for some, it can be the best move you could ever make to grow your business. You don’t have to join online conversations and forums pretending that you’re already successful.

    In fact, most marketers are more than willing to help newbies succeed and go overboard to be sure you’re getting the information you need and the help you ask for. They’ll proudly share ideas and past successes and failures with you and will likely support you in your ventures.

    It’s good to know people going through the same thing you are. They can provide support whenever you feel alone as an entrepreneur – helping you work through self doubt issues and get back in the groove with your productivity.

    Participate in events and meet-ups that you’ve researched and are sure that they’re relevant to what you’re trying to accomplish. You don’t want to waste your time participating in an event that brings you no new or relevant information.

    Before the event, think of some conversation starters to get information flowing. Know as much as you can about the product or services to avoid tedious questions. Also, think of ways you can end a conversation if you get into a boring or irrelevant one.

    Links and business cards are great ways to network, too. If you’re attending a meet-up session or going to a seminar, be prepared to pass on a lot of cards and ask for others. You may end up with some future clients or JV partners to add to your list.

    To network successfully, you should be genuinely engaged with the other person and focus on making the conversation interesting and bringing out others in a positive manner.

    Mainly, think about what you’re going to say or conversations you’d like to engage in prior to the event and try to inspire others as well as be inspired. It’s good to get out of your comfort zone once in awhile to experience new ideas.

    You may be surprised to find out how much you already know about your industry compared to others you meet either on or offline. Networking is a business strategy that many marketers underplay, but can be an invaluable part of your future business successes.

    Categories: Networking Tags: Tags: ,

    Putting Your Best Foot Forward

    When you join a membership such as an “inner circle,” “mastermind group” or a local business club, it’s important to learn how to put your best foot forward. Not only do first impressions matter, so do repeat impressions. You know how a person has to see an advertisement seven times before they choose to purchase? Well, it’s not much different when it comes to building relationships and getting to know people via memberships.

    * Be Prepared – Don’t go to meetings disorganized, dropping paperwork, letting your phone ring, and that type of thing. You need to be fully present at every meeting instead of worried about what’s going on outside of it.

    * Don’t Sell Anything – The worst thing you can do at any membership meetings, or any social gathering at all, is to try to treat it as a sales meeting. You shouldn’t sell anyone anything at these events. Instead, just be yourself, and get to know people and let them get to know you.

    * Dress Appropriately – Each membership has a different personality so you’ll have to base how you dress on the membership. But, you want to show your personality too. Don’t show up in your PJs and looking dirty, but do be yourself and dress right for the membership.

    * Offer Your Hand First – The person who walks up to someone and introduces him or herself is the power person in the group. You need to go up to people, introduce yourself, and offer to shake hands. Look them in the eye, and tell them your name clearly, and ask theirs. Then listen.

    * Get Professional Business Cards Made – Always have cards with you when you leave your office or home. It’s very important because it’s the best way to meet with others after the event. You’ll never remember everyone, so using the card they give you and jotting down on the back something to help you remember them is a great thing to do. It’s something they might do too.

    * Get to Know People – Your entire job at any event is to get to know people. The more you get to know people and they get to know you, the more likely they are to recommend you to others, as well as hire you if they need what you offer.

    * Ask a Lot of Questions – Remember to always put the other person first, and learn as much as you can about them. The more people get to tell you about themselves, the better impression they get of you.

    * Show Up – It’s important to show up to the meetings, events, and luncheons when the membership you choose to join has them. Don’t just sign up and never show up. Showing up is the best thing you can do for your business.

    Whether you have a home business or a bricks and mortar business, it’s important to always practice putting your best foot forward. What that constitutes is different for each type of business and business owner, depending on their audience and niche.

    Categories: organizations, work with others Tags: Tags:

    Building Long-Lasting Business Relationships

    The best way to build long-lasting business relationships is to participate in the group or communities that the members participate in. You need to know how to get into any group, fit in, and get to know your customers and clients in a whole new way. It’s no longer good enough to just sell them something and then move on. Now you need to cultivate relationships that ensure that the relationship lasts longer.

    * Give Freely – Before ever asking anyone you meet for a favor, always do things for them first. Freely give of yourself to people and they will remember you. If you’ve done a good job letting them know what you offer, they’ll come to you when they’re ready.

    * Stay Professional – It’s especially important to remember that social media is part of the way you communicate professionally today. You need to keep the things you share business-like, avoiding personal oversharing or inappropriate sharing.

    * Practice Your Elevator Speech – Some people object to calling it that, but it’s just a way to say that you should be prepared with a short way of introducing yourself, your business, and what you do for people. Be sure to frame it with the benefits for the client instead of making it all about you.

    * Be Honest and Ethical – It can be a dog-eat-dog world out there, and you’ll have to compete with a lot of unethical people. But, keep your own morals and don’t cross those legal and ethical boundaries just to get business.

    * Do What You Say You Will Do – Don’t volunteer to do things you don’t have time to do. If someone asks you to do something and you simply can’t do it due to a time crunch or something, say so. But, when you say you will do it, do it, and do it to the best of your ability.

    * Don’t Monopolize Anyone’s Time – We’ve all met the person who talks too much, or the person who doesn’t talk at all, or the person who sticks by one person at an event. Don’t be that person. Instead, learn to converse intelligently and appropriately with a variety of people.

    * Be Welcoming – When someone new wants to join the group, be welcoming and open to them. Sometimes groups can become cliquish, and it can cause serious problems with the group. Not allowing new people in and making them feel like they belong can make a group stagnant.

    * Listen a Lot – You’ve heard the saying, “You have two ears and one mouth for a reason”? Well, it’s true. Use this as your guide to listen twice as much as you talk. Sometimes talking too much is a sign of nervousness; if you can focus more on what people are saying than what you want to say, you can also calm your nervousness.

    Building long-lasting relationships takes time in business and in your personal life. Both have many of the same characteristics for success. Be yourself, be honest, listen, and be helpful. But, don’t overshare or act in an unprofessional manner. If you want business relationships to be fruitful, they have to trust you, so be trustworthy.

    Categories: organizations Tags: Tags:

    How to Become Popular When New to a Group

    Joining a new group can be daunting because people have become used to the other members. There may even be cliques. But, there are tricks to becoming popular in a new group. Some will take a while but some will start working right now.

    * Create Excellent Profiles – Your profile online should be cohesive throughout all networks. It’s no different than if you are meeting people in person; you want to present the same person to everyone, right?

    * Introduce Yourself – Provide an introduction that is not a sales letter. Just say who you are, what you do, why you do it, and who you do it for. Practice your elevator speech for both in-person events and online.

    * Watch and Learn – When you first join any new group, after you’ve introduced yourself you want to watch and learn. You need to know how the group works and what the group values are before you jump in too fast.

    * Build a Portfolio – If the new community is image oriented, build a good portfolio of images so that people who friend you, follow you, or like you can learn more about you. Even if the network isn’t image oriented, you can build in links to your profile that showcases what you do.

    * Reach Out to Friends – If you have existing friends that would like the group, invite them to the group if you’re allowed to do that. It’s important to bring in more people, so that you can become more popular faster. The more people you already know in the group, the better.

    * Engage with People – Don’t just be silent. Share, like, follow, and converse with people in the group in a friendly manner. Answer questions, offer free advice, recommend others. Follow the rules of the group, written and unwritten.

    * Meet Up In Person – Meet people in person who are close to and are part of the group. The more people you can meet in person, the more the other people will trust you because they’ll know you’re the real deal.

    * Be Active – You want to make sure that you are active enough in any group that people remember you and look forward to seeing you. But, not so active that you seem like you’re crazy or not busy enough in your business.

    If you take some time to get to know the group, and slowly get involved without being pushy, you will become popular in the group within a few weeks. You just have to give it the time it needs, the participation necessary, and the right effort. Plus, be yourself, be genuine, be honest, and transparent, and people will love you and want to be part of your circle.

    Categories: organizations, Run a Home Business Tags: Tags:

    Ten Ways to Take Advantage of Industry-Related Community Sites

    There are web communities that are started by industry leaders and organizations that you can join. Some of them have a fee and some don’t. A community site can be hosted on a social network service like Facebook or it can be hosted on an individual website or other platform. It can consist of a forum, blogs, information center and more. When you find an industry-related community site to join, you might want to consider these ten ways to take advantage of them.

    1. Become a Full Member of the Community Site – Most community sites require you to sign up. Some require you to pay a fee. Most of the time, you have to use your real name and show how you fit into the industry. If you’ve chosen a good community site to join, a lot of the information you share will only be available to members. Sometimes you have to spend a little money to get the most out of a community site.

    2. Fill Out Your Profile Carefully – Since this is an industry-related community, you want people who view your profile to know where you fit in with the industry. A lot of times members will hire other members or recommend other members. The more accurate and clear your profile, the better.

    3. Introduce Yourself in a Professional Manner – At some point after joining an industry-related community site you’ll need to introduce yourself to the other members. Some sites have particular areas where they ask you to do that. Some even have surveys they want you to fill out in order to introduce yourself. Try to do it the way they want you to and be as open as possible.

    4. Answer Questions of Other Members – Once you’ve introduced yourself, and have participated in a few discussions, it’s fine to start answering questions that other members ask that you have knowledge in. This will help the members get to know you more and allows you to establish expertise.

    5. Interact with and Engage Members – Don’t just go on a community site and post your own stuff without entering into discussions. Discussions are what make any type of community work, whether online or off. Don’t treat the online community as anything less than real interaction.

    6. Volunteer with the Community Site – Many online community sites need help and they will be very happy to take volunteers to help manage message boards, add blog posts, find resources for members and more. If you want to volunteer just ask.

    7. Use Member Benefits – Industry-related community sites often offer benefits to their members. It’s important to take advantage of them. Many times they’ll have things you can get involved in, as well as job boards, special offers or even live events. Try to get involved with the community you choose to join.

    8. Promote the Community to Others – When you find a community that you like that offers a lot to your industry, tell other people about it. The more people who join the community, the better for you because that’s more people you can get to know and potentially work with.

    9. Ignore Wrongheaded Criticism – In many communities, especially free ones, you will have issues with bullies and “trolls”. The best way to deal with these people is to ignore them. If there is an authority to report them to, do so. Do not engage with them because people are watching you to see how you deal with pressure.

    10. Honor Privacy Issues – Many groups are private, and due to that, people will discuss things believing in a code of honor that what they say stays in that group. Be sure to not share anything outside of the group. Being part of a community means you honor their need for privacy.

    If you want to be seen as an expert in your industry, it’s important to be seen as much as possible in a professional manner. Joining a community that is related to your industry can help. You can join communities that consist of colleagues or potential customers or both. Once you join and start participating, you’ll find many ways to get known and grow your business.

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    How to Generate On-Site Experiences That Will Have Attendees Coming Back for More

    Having face-to-face meetings and events is invaluable. They help foster relationships, build trust, encourage openness and offer a way to have immediate and clear communication with others. In this day and age, it seems that online events are the only way to do events, but nothing could be further from the truth.

    However, an in-person event needs to be much more exciting than sitting hour after hour for presentations that one could have watched online. In person, on-site events require something that will make the attendees want to do it again. There are many ways to make your event amazing. Let’s go over a few.

    * Use the Best Technology You Can Afford – There is so much technology you can use today for on-site meetings and events that will help such as an app that will help like-minded attendees find and locate each other, and technology that will match up businesses that need each other. There is also technology that enables audience participation and questions to be asked and answered more easily. Get what you can afford that is above a traditional “presentation” type meeting.

    * Choose the Best Location You Can Afford – If you really want people to attend your event, then the location does matter. Not only does location matter, timing the event right to coincide with something important in that location can also help so that attendees (given the time) can do both. For example, have an event in Washington DC during the time that the cherry blossoms bloom, or in the Ozarks during the fall colors.

    * Make Sure the Food Is Awesome – You want to give people plenty of food choices. Today people care a lot more about their health than they used to. You may consider polling those who sign up for the event and pay about their food choices so that you can do a better job with food provisions.

    * Someone Should Greet Everyone – If you have to hire greeters, do so. Nothing is worse than going to an in-person event and feeling like a nobody, with no one greeting you or helping you know what to do or how to get involved.

    * Have a Meet the Speakers Special Event – Offer an upgrade to VIPs where they can have a dinner with the speakers at their table. Kind of like a “captain’s table” event on a cruise ship. People will pay good money to be able to hobnob with the speakers.

    * Offer Breakout Sessions – If your event is large, having smaller breakout sessions with 10 to 20 participants with a speaker will be an amazing way to help people get closer. You can arrange them together based on answers they give in the questionnaire you give them at the time they register.

    * Ramp Up the Content – The content that you and the speakers have at a live event should be even better and tighter than for a webinar or teleseminar. The speakers need spot-on slides, or visuals, and a good story to engage the audience.

    * Attract Well-Known Speakers – Even if you can’t get a lot of well-known speakers, pay at least one well-known person to speak at your event. Do ensure that they’re relevant to the event and can speak to the target audience.

    * Design for Relationship Building – Ensure that there are plenty of breaks, and even planned tours of the area around the event location. These are all networking opportunities for the individuals that come to the event.

    * Be Specific about Priorities – Know what your point is for having the event before you even start, so that you can stick to your priorities. You don’t want to have an event that no one understands the point of.

    * Build in Networking Opportunities – Set up after-hours drinks, dances, and other activities that can help people with networking. Do some in the morning, some at lunch, and some after dinner and some in the evening so that you can have a little something for everyone.

    * Inspire and Motivate Action – Don’t just talk at your guests; talk with them. Invite them to comment, invite someone or a few on stage to tell their story in a spontaneous way. The more you can inspire them and motivate them, the better they’ll feel when they leave, and the more they’ll want to come back.

    Making people want to come back involves a well-oiled and planned event. If you can afford to, hire an event planner to help you get everything organized well so that you don’t have to focus on much more than the content.

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    Creating a Memorable Portfolio for Your B2B Event

    Going to B2B events is a great opportunity to generate leads for your business. There are many types of events, such as seminars, workshops, webinars, teleseminars, conferences, tradeshows and even executive briefings. For many of these types of events, you’ll need to take a portfolio with you so that you can impress the other attendees.

    You can add these things to both a physical and an online portfolio. Put the URL of the portfolio on your business card, plus make a few copies of your portfolio to hand out to prospects who come to your event table.

    * Examples of Content – Any demonstration that you can write well is an important addition to your portfolio. Adding a few examples of your best work will help the attendees see what you can do.

    * Your Book – If you’ve published a book, you should bring plenty of signed copies of the book to give away and to sell if allowed.

    * Show Unique Work Examples – Any project you’ve worked on that demonstrates outside of the box thinking, plus how you solved problems, is a good project to include in your portfolio.

    * Include Your Education – If you have relevant education, courses, or certifications, include a copy of the certificates in your portfolio. This shows a commitment to your work.

    * Define What You Do – Ensure that anything you put in your portfolio demonstrates exactly what you do for your target audience who will be at the B2B event. Leave out anything that is not directly relevant.

    * Prove What You Can Do – Find relevant samples that prove the best of what you can do for your audience. If you design websites, show the best websites, especially websites that are relevant to the audience at the B2B event.

    * Awards – If you’ve received any awards, put copies of those into your portfolio. This shows that your work has been recognized by others and makes people trust you more.

    * Press Mentions – If there are good press mentions including published press releases that you can include, do so. These show that you not only know what you’re doing but other people think you do, too.

    * Include a Resume or CV – Many freelancers balk at including a resume or a CV, but the fact is people want to know your history. This will help develop trust.

    * Testimonials – If you have some great testimonials, include them in your portfolio because word of mouth is powerful. Even if the person doesn’t know the testimonial giver directly, it can make a huge difference if they can at least verify the person.

    Including these things in your portfolio is a good start to helping you make any B2B event productive for you. The idea is to sell yourself to the right audience so before you start, choose who your sub-audience is from those who will attend the B2B event.

    Categories: organizations, presentations, Run a Home Business Tags: Tags:

    How to Become a Speaker

    Becoming a speaker is a wonderful way to spread awareness about your topic, niche or cause. Also, in many cases speakers are well-paid to deliver their information to certain audiences. But, first of all – to become a sought-out speaker you need to find your audience, and deliver the information that audience desires in a way that is pleasant and memorable.

    * Identify Your Audience – Everything starts with your audience, of course. Know who they are, what they need, what their desires are and also what they can afford to reasonable do about their situations. If you can figure all that out, you can craft wonderful speeches with just the right information.

    * Choose Your Message – As you get to know your audience, you can choose the message you want to impart. Sometimes speakers have more than one speech in their repertoire, so that venues and groups can pick between them. Narrow your message down to two or three major solutions for your audience.

    * Develop Your Speech – Choose one of the three and start developing the speech. Write down notes, and form an outline for the speech. Decide on how long it will be. Sometimes you’ll need versions of your speech in different time lengths for various audiences. But start with a reasonable time of about 20 to 40 minutes.

    * Write and Publish a Book – Using the information that you are gathering for speeches to write a book will not only help you identify information that you want to give in a speech, but it will also give you something to promote at your talks. Plus, you will be introduced as an author.

    * Keep Studying – Never stop studying up on your audience and niche. Things change over time and you want to keep your information as current as possible. If your message becomes dated and old, you will not be asked to speak at events as much.

    * Practice – Always practice every single speech you want to give, because you’ll need to change it up a bit to fit in with the particular audience that you give the speech to. While you make it for one audience, you’ll need to narrow it down further when you find out exactly who you’ll be talking to.

    * Create a “One Sheet” – A one sheet is one regular piece of paper that explains what you talk about in your different speeches. It’s also all the information about you on one piece of paper: your background, your expertise, and what you can speak about, plus your contact information.

    * Promote Yourself – It’s imperative that once you’ve decided to become a speaker, you promote yourself. You may have to give free talks for a little while, but chalk it up as practice to help you build up your reputation. When something is free, ask if you can record it for use later, as this will help you get better.

    Becoming a speaker can take your career or business to a whole new level. You’ll be seen far and wide as an expert in your field. You’ll be able to craft more speeches and more talks, in more venues, as you develop your program according to what you want to promote. Normally speaking goes hand-in-hand with promotion of other products after the speech, even when you’re being paid to do so.

    Categories: public speaking, Run a Home Business Tags: Tags: